Keith Komeiji added to Pacific Coaching Staff

STOCKTON, Calif. – University of the Pacific baseball head coach Ed Sprague announced changes to his staff Wednesday, naming Chris McCormack Director of Baseball Operations and Keith Komeiji as volunteer assistant.

"We’re excited to be able to add someone to our staff with the experience that Keith has," Sprague said. "He’s a tremendous addition which should really help the development of our catching corps."

"I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue coaching, and to be joining a great program at the University of the Pacific," Komeiji said. "I’m eager to get to know the players this fall and to start working with our group of catchers."

Komeiji joins the Pacific staff after serving as the hitting coach at the University of Hawai’i the past five seasons. During those five seasons, the Hawai’i hitters posted a batting average of .291, including a .297 team average in 2006 and a .305 team average in 2007.

In 2009, Komeiji’s hitters set the school record for home runs with 64 as a team and placed three players on the schools all-time top 10 list for long balls in a single season.

Under his tuteledge, 24 players posted batting averages over .300 in a season, and two standout pupils, Brandon Haislet and Kris Sanchez, set about dismantling the single-season Hawai’i record books. Haislet hit .362 in 2007 with 10 home runs, 66 RBI and 23 doubles, while Sanchez turned in a 2008 campaign with a .389 average, 50 RBI, 52 runs 22 doubles and seven home runs.

In addition to his duties as hitting instructor, Komeiji will be responsible for working with the Pacific catchers. At Hawai’i, he coached five catchers, who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft: Grady Symonds (drafted in 2002), Brian Bock (2003), Esteban Lopez (2006), Matt Inouye (2006), Landon Hernandez (2008) and David Freitas (2010). Lopez, Hernandez and Freitas were also named All-WAC during his tenure as well.

Prior to joining the Hawai’i staff, Komeiji was a coach with the Hawai’i Island Movers (1995-2001) summer team, as also coached in the Hawai’i Summer Collegiate Baseball League in 2005 as head coach of the Waikiki Surfers. Also during that time frame from 1995-2001, Komeiji served as a coach for the `Iolani School.

He played one season collegiately at Hawai’i and after a year at Orange Coast College, was drafted in the 1983 MLB January winter Draft in the first round by the Seattle Mariners.

After playing six years in the Mariners organization, he spent two seasons in the Italian Baseball League with Grosetto and San Marino.

Komeiji is married to the former Daisy Tsui and the couple have one child together, Zakary.

Chris McCormack is in his third season on the Pacific staff, serving as volunteer assistant from 2009-10. He will assume Director of Baseball Operations duties, replacing Wes Yourth.

Sprague also named Ramon Glasgow as an undergraduate assistant coach. Glasgow played outfield for the Tigers in 2005-06, after transferring Consumnes. In 2006, he led the Tigers with a .333 average in 49 games to go with 16 RBI and a .429 on-base percentage.

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